Empty Memories: True Heart
by Elden
Summary: When the Memories are gone, will the Heart remember?
1. The White Room

Disclaimer: I do not own _To LOVE-Ru_.

To LOVE-Ru  
>Empty Memories:<br>True Heart  
>Chapter 1<br>The White Room

"Do you think he'll be okay?"

"You have to understand, the blow he received was quite severe. "

"But will he be okay?"

The air felt clean. That was his first thought when he came to. The voices filling the room were mere background noise at first, but as consciousness returned to him, they became louder and more incessant.

"I'm trying to tell you-"

"Please!"

The voice, it was panicked. He could almost hear the tears through her voice.

"Tell me he'll be okay! Tell me he's going to be fine!"

Her? Yes... it was a girl's voice, but...not one that he recognized.

"Lala-chan!"

"No! Tell me he's going to be okay!"

He didn't recognize any of the voices, but the girl...she was upset.

_I have to help her._

Hazel eyes opened to a white ceiling.

"Rito has to be okay! He has to!"

_Rito? Who is..._

He urged his body to get up, but the response was sluggish. The girl's voice continued to rise though, and this, though he did not know why, urged him to hasten his movements. He rose from the bed into a sitting position, causing the white blanket to fall to his waist. The room was completely white. The only contrast to this were the people in front of his bed. One of them wore a long, white coat. Her hair was auburn, but he could not see her face, for she was facing away from him. Towards a girl with long pink hair. This one was facing him, though she seemed too concentrated on the woman in white to notice him. Her eyes were the color of jade, and her voice, her voice was the one he had been hearing. There were no tears in her eyes, but though his impression had been off, he could plainly see that it wasn't far removed. She seemed so upset, but...why?

He could not tell, but as he gazed at the two women in silence, he noticed a third. Like the woman with auburn hair, she also wore white, but her clothes fit more closely to her body, and a white hat sat atop her head. Black hair streamed down her back, and a rope of bound hair hung over each of her shoulders. Her brown eyes were wide as she stared at him, her mouth hung open slightly, as if she were in shock.

"Rito-san..."

The other two women quieted as she spoke this, her voice barely a whisper, and as one they turned to him. Immediately, the girl with pink hair became overjoyed. A smile spread wide over her features as she rushed towards him.

"Rito!" She collapsed onto him as she encircled her arms around him and buried her head on his chest. "You're alright! Rito, I'm so glad..." She released her hold of him smiled brightly as she wiped a tear from her eye with a finger.

_She's crying. _

He did not know why she was so happy, nor why she was crying, no more so than he knew who Rito was.

"Rito, how are you feeling? Is your head okay?" He could only look at her as she touched the back of his head with her hand. The stinging sensation that followed caused him to wince. She pulled her hand away at this, and a worried expression crossed her face. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

There was such worry in her voice, the concerned expression seemed as if it were etched into her face. He wanted to answer her, he wanted to smile, if only to make her feel better, but..."

"Rito?"

"Who...are you?"

Her expression seemed to falter at his words, but she smiled quickly and laughed. But the laugh seemed hollow. "R-Rito, what do you mean? It's me, Lala. Don't you...remember me?"

He stared at her for a long moment after she asked that question, but no mater how he tried to remember her face, her voice, he only drew blanks.

"No." He shook his head. "I'm sorry. I do not know you."

Her face seemed to freeze for a moment, then she turned and walked away. Her steps were swift, and in moments the door was open. He stared after her in silence long after her form had disappeared through the entryway. The woman in white sighed and gazed at him quietly. Her eyes were a soft green. But she spoke not a word, and soon she, too, turned and walked out of the room.

The remaining girl looked after her nervously, as if unsure of what to do, then turned to him. "You really don't remember her, Rito-san?"

_Rito-san... _He shook his head. "Who is she?"

She opened her mouth, as if to answer, then shut it slowly. She acted as one who wasn't sure of what to say. She fidgeted under his gaze, then opened her mouth once more. "Well..."

The words that would follow from her mouth could not be heard from the hall the two women had disappeared into. No, in this hall, the most dominate sounds were that of swift steps upon tiled floor. The woman with auburn hair walked in long strides, longer than those of the jade-eyed girls', and she was soon in her wake.

"Lala-chan."

The girl did not stop when she heard the woman's voice, nor did she slow her pace. She walked swiftly with her head down. Pink hair fell over her face, prohibiting anyone from seeing her pain-stricken expression.

"Lala-chan..."

A hand fell upon her shoulder, and at this she did stop. She did not answer the woman, and even if she wanted to, she couldn't.

_Why..._

Her hands trembled violently, and they continued to even when she balled them into fists.

_Why..._

Hot tears burned her eyes and trailed down her cheeks. They fell to the ground with barely audible splashes.

_Why..._

"Lala-chan..."

She looked up at the woman in white, her vision blurred with tears, and opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. The woman in white stepped back when she saw the expression on the girl's face. She had known that his words had hurt her, but...

"Why..."the girl cried, "why doesn't he...remember me?"

The woman did not speak. She couldn't. She held no words that would comfort the girl, not now. But she stepped forward and embraced the girl. The tears that poured against her blouse were many, but this was all she could do for the girl. So she held her tightly as she cried, and spoke not at all.

o0o

"Amnesia?"

The woman in white nodded at the young girl's question. Her hands in the pockets of her white coat, she looked down at the girl and studied her quietly. Her long, dark brown hair fell freely down her back, but a beaded hairband raised a small bunch of hair above her head. Her eyes were hazel, like her brother's, and her fingers fidgeted restlessly at her sides. A girl dressed all in black with golden hair stood beside her, her crimson eyes gazing down at the monitor before them.

"It can be caused by a small number of things, usually trauma related," she continued. "In this case, the severe blow he received to the back of his head. While not life-threatening, you can logically see that there are certain drawbacks. I've done some testing, and it seems that, while he remembers how to talk and perform actions such as walking and writing, he doesn't remember anything beyond waking up in that room."

"Doctor," the golden-haired girl said, her voice quiet, "Is this condition reversible, or..."

"It is completely reversible," the woman nodded. "There have been several cases of amnesia patients regaining partial and total recollection. However..."

The young girl trained her hazel eyes up at the woman quietly. The woman did not finish her sentence, but she didn't need to. "There's no way to know whether or not his memory will even come back at all."

The woman nodded. "He may go the rest of his life with the first seventeen years of his life missing from his memories, or he may begin to remember things. How much he will remember or how long it will be before he remembers, I cannot say."

They gazed at the monitor in silence as the doctor's words set in. Displayed on the screen was a room stark-white, from the floor and walls to the bed and sheets on which a young man sat, leaning against the headboard. His hair, reddish orange, stood out against the white backdrop like a bright light in the darkest of nights.

"May I see him?" the young girl asked quietly.

The doctor nodded. "That's why I called you here. His room is right down the hall. There's a blue flap next to the door. Perhaps seeing a familiar face will jog his memory."

"Lala's did nothing," the girl said, her voice still quiet.

"Perhaps not right now, but, given time, it may have helped him more than we could know."

Crimson eyes followed the girl as she turned stiffly and walked out of the room, then gazed up at the doctor. "Do you really believe she can help?"

"Anything's possible," the woman said, nodding slowly. "Mikan-chan has known him the longest out of all of us. Right now, she has the best chance of getting him to remember."

"Even when someone he has a strong emotional tie to didn't?"

The doctor shook her head. "The mind is still a mystery, Yami-chan. You never know- maybe you will be the trigger he needs to remember the past." She looked down at the golden-haired girl in silence for a moment, then tentatively opened her mouth to speak. "Yami-chan... Lala-chan told me what happened, but I was wondering if you-"

"I don't know," the girl said, cutting her off. "I arrived too late to help Yuuki Rito."

"Oh..." Movement caught her eye on the screen as the young girl entered the white room. "I see."

**"Do you know who I am?" **The words sounded through speakers as the girl approached the bed. The young man shook his head. The girl stood before him quietly, and, for a moment, the doctor didn't know whether asking the girl to do this so soon was wise or not. A moment later, though, she did. **"My name is Mikan. Yuuki Mikan. I'm you're sister." **

o0o

The white ceiling stared down at him wordlessly, and, right now, he preferred it this way. His hazel eyes stared back as he lay against the bed. A room as white and plain as this, he felt it was appropriate. His memories were gone, his identity lost. He did not recognize any of the girls who had come to visit him earlier. Not the two in white, not the one who said claimed to be his sister, not even the quiet girl with golden hair who followed. Nor did he recognize the girl with long, black hair or the girl with short, black hair. Three other girls had come that day, the ones with hair colors he felt oddly comfortable with. Two were of the color pink, and the third had hair of pale green. The girl he had first met did not come back, but he couldn't think of a reason why she should have. A man had come, however. His hair was black, and a headband adorned his forehead. He said he was his father, but...

He rest an arm against his forehead in thought. He did not know any of the girls, or the man, but from the way they acted around him, from the way that first girl had left hurriedly, he felt he should have. But alas, nothing came to him. He closed his eyes as a sigh escaped his lips.

_Yuuki Rito._

The name sounded foreign to him, alien, even. They said that it was his name, but he felt no attachment to it. He did not know who he was, he did not know where he was. His memories had abandoned him. It was as if he had been born anew, and this room, so white and bare, was his place of birth. It was then not only appropriate, but ironic, that his memories were like the room- almost completely barren.

-END Ch.1-

~~~~~ooooo00000ooooo~~~~~

"**In Heart of Hearts,**

**The Mind is Blind.**

**In Mind of Minds,**

**The Heart is Foolish.**

**The Memories are Both,**

**The Memories are Part.**

**When the Memories are Gone,**

**But the Heart and Mind Remain,**

**Will You Recognize Me with Your Heart, **

**Or with Your Mind?**

**Or Will You Recognize Me At All?"**

~~~~~ooooo00000ooooo~~~~~


	2. The Place They Call Home

Disclaimer: I do not own _To LOVE-Ru_.

To LOVE-Ru  
>Empty Memories:<br>True Heart  
>Chapter 2<br>The Place They Call Home

The ground was still riddled with ashes. As the captain knelt, his knee and feet indenting upon the gray surface, he reached down and grasped a fistful of the dust.

"So this is where it happened?" His iris colored eyes swept the area, finding nothing but the gray ash.

"Yes."

He sighed and looked up at his golden-haired companion. "How did you find him?"

Her crimson eyes gazed at the point the ash stopped short of. "He was lying in the ash."

He followed her gaze and examined the area. There were uneven indentations and spots of dried blood in the gray mounds. "A blow to the head like that... it's amazing he's still alive."

"He is very fortunate."

He glanced back at her from the ground. "And the assailant..."

Her crimson eyes narrowed just a little, enough for the gray-haired captain to know he had offended her. "Dealt with."

He nodded and rose to his feet. "What an unfortunate fellow," he murmured. _Golden Darkness is a tough opponent as it is, but for her to be angry... _He shook his head. _Only a fool would attack someone targeted by her._

"How is Mikan-dono?"

"...Unsettled," she said, her gaze flickering to the remnants of the wooded area. A clearing now, whole trees had been reduced to the gray ash they now stood on. She rest her gaze on a tree at the edge of the clearing with a hole the size of a fist buried in it. A dark green color bathed the hole and trailed down the tree's trunk. "But strong. There is no need for you to worry about Yuuki Mikan."

The captain raised a brow at the last part of her statement, but nodded wordlessly. "I see. Thank you for your assistance, Golden Darkness. You seem to be helping her highness a lot more often these days."

"Perhaps I wouldn't need to if you did your job better."

Words leaped from his throat, but the captain bit his tongue and closed his eyes. "I'll try to do better from now on," he strained through gritted teeth. "Regardless," he continued, opening his eyes once more, "you have my thanks."

"I see."

He sighed and ran a gauntlet-ed hand through his hair. "I must pay my respects to Rito-dono. Is he still at Mikado-san's?"

The golden-haired girl shook her head. "The doctor is allowing Yuuki Rito to return home today."

"Home," Zastin contemplated. "If he can call it that."

"He is still Yuuki Rito," she said, turning to him.

"Perhaps," the captain consented as he walked towards her, "but he is not the same Yuuki Rito we once knew. You visited him him yesterday." He came to a stop beside her, his gaze sweeping the woods before him, and spoke his next words quietly. "Surely you can see that."

"I am not blind. He is my target." A hint of bitterness sounded through her voice, causing the captain to tilt his head to the side.

"I wonder which angers you more- the fact that someone else got to Rito-dono before you did, or that someone actually hurt Rito-dono while you were on this planet."

Her eyes narrowed as she turned to him. "What?"

"Well," he began, a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips, "it's just a thought. But..." He started forward again. "The wheel will not stop spinning, Darkness. The brief peace we are living through will not last forever. The continued interruptions of her highness's suitors are proof of that. The instinct of an assassin tells you this just as the instinct of a warrior tells me. Eventually you will have to choose." He spoke no more as he faded into the woods, leaving the crimson-eyed girl to stare after him.

She stared into the darkness of the trees that had swallowed the captain's form, then she, too, turned and walked away.

o0o

"This is it."

The door opened before him with hardly a creek. The man who had opened it nodded to him and gestured for him to enter. He supposed the man had done it to reassure him, but it made no difference. This place felt no different than the white room had. He stepped through the doorway. The wooden floor beneath his feet continued on into a single step, then flattened out again to lead further into the house. There were four sets of shoes lined neatly beside the wall next to the step. He stared down at them in silence for a moment, then slid his shoes off and set them down at the end of the line. He could hear the door close behind him as his foot touched upon the step. When he glanced back, he saw the man and the girl doing what he had done with their own shoes.

His eyes shifted back to the room. To his left sat a long couch with an armchair sitting on either side of it. They seemed to be situated to face the black television that stood against the wall. Straight ahead of him, past the couches, was a set of stairs and a hall. The banister was of a deep brown wood, and the stairs disappeared from view above the ceiling. Beside him on his right was a round, wooden table surrounded by five chairs. A white counter stood beside it, and beyond it was a stove and oven sidled up between a cabinet and another counter that bordered the wall. A large white refrigerator sat along the wall opposite the end of the counter. Its surface was covered with papers and magnets.

"So what do you think? Does it feel familiar?"

He gazed down at the girl as she stepped beside him. She looked up at him quietly, her hazel eyes searching his, for what though, he did not know. He said nothing, and instead gazed around the house once more. His eyes settled behind the girl, on top of a shelf behind the table. He stepped around her and walked to the shelf. Framed pictures lined the wooden surface; they showed people laughing, or spending time together. One picture showed a little girl holding out a pink scarf and a pair of fuzzy earmuffs with smiley faces on them happily, while a boy stood beside her, smiling sheepishly with a hand scratching his head.

"That one was of Christmas a long time ago." She smiled warmly as she picked the picture up. "Our parents weren't home. They worked a lot. You thought I'd be lonely, so you got a small tree and decorated it." She laughed fondly at the memory, and held the picture out to Rito. "You gave me those as presents. Said that Santa had left them for me."

He took the frame from her, but try as he might, he couldn't remember the memory the picture represented. He couldn't feel the happiness this girl obviously felt when she looked at it.

"And this was last year's."

He looked up to see the girl holding another picture. It showed a group of people standing in front of a Christmas tree. He recognized everyone except for two of them. There was a woman standing beside the man who had claimed to be his father, and in his own hands was a little girl with long green hair and a flower on her head.

"Who are they?" he asked, pointing to the anomalies.

The man smiled. "That's your mother, Rito. She's overseas working in the fashion industry right now. And that little girl is-"

"Celine," the girl said quickly, casting her father a severe glance.

"Celine." Rito repeated the name, oblivious to the exchange.

"Yes... She's upstairs if you would like to see her. So are the others."

"Others?"

She nodded. "Do you remember the three girls with pink hair? They live with us."

Pink hair... He looked down at the photo again. They were all there. Even the girl who had run out of the room. She was standing right beside him in the photo, her arms wrapped around his waist and a red hat atop her head. There was a smile there too, as if she were truly happy. He shook his head. It was hard to imagine her very happy, not after the look he had seen on her face.

"Hey, why don't we go see your room?"

He glanced at the man quietly and nodded. He set the picture down as he followed him to the stairs. The girl did not follow though, but simply stared at the picture in her hands, and Rito could only glance at her as she disappeared from view. His gaze lingered on the walls that blocked her from sight for only a moment before he turned away. The stairs broke at a landing before leading them briefly to the left. They stepped off into a hallway where a small number of doors lined the walls, and an odd, white pad sat. The man led him past all of them, however, one after the other until they came to the last door at the very end of the hall. The man turned to him then, and motioned towards the door.

Rito stepped forward slowly, glancing at the man briefly before reaching out for the knob. It turned smoothly in his hand. He pushed the door open.

A simple bed. A closed window with drapes drawn back. A nightstand. These were the first things he saw. His eyes looked over each of these things slowly, searchingly. But nothing came to him. They meant nothing to him beyond the functions served. None of the things he found in that room did, not even after he entered and took in what stood around him. A dresser. A desk. A bookshelf. A clock on the wall. He could hear it ticking so clearly as he looked around. There were shelves on the walls next to the desk, a closed closet in the corner of the room, and a ceiling fan with a light hanging perfectly still above him. And nothing felt familiar. Not the possessions that lined the shelves, or the papers that lay stacked on the desk, or the books lining the bookshelf. Not even the pictures scattered about the room in frames.

"Does any of it seem familiar?"

His gaze slowly moved across the images on the shelf next to him, their frames both small and large, but he said nothing. The pictures drew his attention, but not for the reason the man might have hoped. They all showed the same people. Sometimes only one or two of them, others in groups, and he was with them in more than a couple of the pictures. Most of the pictures seemed to have been taken in a city, but there were some that were clearly taken at a beach, or a house. And all of them, all of them were of people he recognized. The people who had visited him in the hospital. Those girls, and that man. Only a few of them included people he didn't recognize. A man with gray hair, a woman with orange-brown hair, a young man with black.

"Rito?"

The word echoed in his mind. Rito. This was Rito. The boy in the pictures, with all of these girls who clearly felt dearly about him. That was Rito. But him... no, he was not Rito. He couldn't be. He didn't know how. He couldn't remember. For him, Rito was just a name. Not an identity. Not a life. The memory of Rito remained only in those who had known him, and he...

"Rito, would you like to meet them? The girls who live here with you?"

He turned slowly, almost mechanically, and gazed upon the man who was to be his father. His eyes, his hair, his face, even the headband, he searched them with his eyes. The Rito in the pictures, the Rito everyone seemed to care so much about, if he could be awakened by anyone, it would be by his own father, right? The man who had helped raise him, the man who had been a primary influence in his life, surely Rito would know him, even without his memories. Right?

"Come with me, Rito," Saibai said. "Just to get reacquainted with them. You don't have to stay with them for long if you don't want to, but I think it would do you some good to spend time with your friends again."

But no. There was nothing.

The man led him into the hallway again, but he stopped at no door this time. Rather, he stepped in front of the pad. Rito glanced down at it briefly before stepping onto it with the man. It was encircled by a white ring, but he could see no more, for the next instant it disappeared. His vision was filled with emerald light. It lasted only a moment, and the next he was staring down at the pad again, in all its whiteness. But it wasn't the only thing that was white. The floor was white. And as he followed the floor he realized the walls were white too. They arched slightly as the rose, meeting to form a dome above the room. A room of nothing but white.

"Rito-san..."

He dropped his gaze from the ceiling. In the center of the room lay two long couches with a table sitting between them. On the couch facing them sat four girls, all of who had pink hair but one. Two of them had visited him in the hospital; their violet eyes stared at him with concern. But the third... His gaze halted when it landed upon her. It was her. The girl he had first met when he woke up. His heart began to beat faster, but only slightly so. Not enough for him to notice. He stared at her silently, taking in the curves of tresses that draped over her shoulders, the gentle curls of her lashes, and... His head tilted ever so slightly, as if he wasn't sure what he was seeing. It soon came to him though. Her eyes, they were pools of jade that seemed so deep... But there was something in them that gave him pause. It took him a moment to recognize what it was.

Emotion

She met his gaze only shortly, but he was not mistaken in what he saw. She looked away from him then, and rose to her feet. His eyes followed her as she left the room, and did not leave the door she disappeared through until someone spoke his name.

"Rito-san."

When he turned back to the couch, one of the girls was standing. The one with short hair. Her twin sat next to her, an unsure look on her face. She flinched and turned away when his gaze met hers. The small girl that sat next to her smiled brightly and cried out before she hopped off the couch and ran his way. Or as much of a run as a girl whose legs were that short could make.

"Mau!"

She came trundling out from behind the other couch and latched onto his leg.

"Mau," she cooed softly as she buried her face into his pants leg. She hugged him tightly and smiled up at him. "Mau!"

"Do you remember her, Rito-san?" the girl asked.

Rito looked up at her quietly. She had told him her name when she visited him. It was one of the only names he knew in this world. He knew all of their names. Momo, Nana, Saibai, Celine... He looked once more to the door. Lala.

He had seen it. That look in her eyes, the look that had appeared when he met her in the hospital, they were the same. And he knew what it was she was finally upset about. He knew why that look had touched her eyes. She had been hurt. And it was his fault. Not Rito's. Not some medical condition. His. And his alone. Because he couldn't remember. Because he wasn't Rito.

-END Ch. 2-

~~~~~ooooo00000ooooo~~~~~

**Anew, he opened his eyes to this world.**

**The people, strangers.**

**The place they called home, a building foreign to him.**

**They told him his name, but he did not recognize it.**

**They told him his past, but he did not remember it.**

**They showed him his love, but he did not know her.**

"**Surely," they lamented, "you will remember!"**

**But alas, the answer was unknown.**

~~~~~ooooo00000ooooo~~~~~


	3. The Twenty-Three Signs

Disclaimer: I do not own _To LOVE-Ru_.

To LOVE-Ru  
>Empty Memories:<br>True Heart  
>Chapter 3<br>The Twenty-Three Signs

Steam rose into the air as dark liquid poured from the mouth of a silver-rimmed pot. It cascade down in a single, almost black stream that pooled into the hollow of a white mug. The slender hand that held the pot raised its rim and set it down gently. Her green eyes touched upon the small mug as she picked it up with both hands and brought it to rest beneath her nose. The rich scent of almonds filled her senses. It wafted into the air on the currents of steam that emanated from the ceramic cup, Rising steady upward to tickle her nose. She breathed the aroma in, her eyes shutting as she reveled in it—the scent, the pleasure it elicited from her—and she sighed in appreciation.

"So," she said, opening her eyes and turning to her guests, "it's not very often I see you two together. What can I do for you?" She smiled at the two of them as she raised the cup and took the first sip of her coffee. It trickled down her throat, sending out waves of warmth that caused a small shiver to course through her spine. Her eyes closed in a most satisfied way. When she opened them again, she found that neither of her guests were smiling.

"I'm sorry. Would you like some? It's excellent."

"Not right now, Mikado-san," the taller of the two said, glancing down briefly at the young girl sitting beside him. "Thank you, though."

"Oh, Zastin-kun," the woman pouted, shaking her head disappointingly. "We've known each other a while now; why don't you call me Ryouko?"

The gray-haired captain fidgeted slightly in his seat. "Ah, Mikado-san... we—"

"We need to talk to you about something urgent," Zastin's companion said, her voice quiet and still.

Mikado gazed down at the girl searchingly for a moment, then nodded slowly and made her way to her desk. "This is about Rito-kun, then," she said as she sat down. The chair squeaked slightly as she swiveled around to face them, and draped one black-stockinged leg over the other. "Right, Mikan-chan?"

The girl nodded. "You said his condition might be reversible."

"Mm." The doctor took another sip of her coffee and nodded. "It's possible."

"How?" She asked the question quickly, and even leaned forward in her chair as she awaited a response.

Mikado considered her question quietly as she took a third sip, then glanced at Zastin. She smiled behind her cup at what she saw. "Well, there are certain triggers that can reawaken lost memories," she said as she set her mug down on her desk, twisting her body instead of swiveling the chair, so that her upper torso protruded at an angle just so.

"Triggers?"

"Oh, yes. Certain things that... arouse feelings and images that might unlock his memories." She uncrossed her legs briefly, keeping them close together in her chair as she recrossed them opposite the way they had been. "Like a song or a sound, a smell, a location, a person, even an image, if one found it so appealing before they lost their memories."

A coughing sounded through the room as Zastin repositioned himself in his chair. His hand over his mouth, he cast his eyes off to the side of the room where his gaze would be far away from anything he might find... appealing.

"So you're saying," Mikan began slowly, Zastin's behavior having gone by completely unnoticed by her, "that he might regain his memories just by being around things that should be familiar to him?"

"Mm-hm. You never know what just might trigger those sensations that will reawaken his memories."

"Is there anything that might... have a strong chance of triggering them?"

"Not necessarily, no. Although I imagine that the triggers with the deepest connection to Rito-kun will act the fastest."

"The deepest connection..." Mikan considered this carefully, her eyes lost in the haze of thought. When they lifted again, there was a curious light in her eyes. "The deepest connections, if we were to guess what they might be, and go from there... would that work?"

"It might," the doctor mused, leaning back against her chair. "Assuming you could guess right."

The corners of Mikan's lips twitched, just a little, and that curious light flared into a blaze. "I don't think that'll be a problem."

o0o

It was cool, soft to the touch. It smeared across his skin as he dug his fingers into it. It was... odd, yet interestingly cathartic. But... he had absolutely no idea what he was doing.

He sighed as he sat back to look at his work. Newly planted flowers lay in two rows before him, the dirt in which they were planted bearing the treads and marks his fingers had left when he slid the dirt back into place. That girl... Mikan had suggested he spend some time gardening. Apparently, it was something Rito enjoyed doing.

He picked up the watering can that sat next to him and angled it over the newest flower with a sigh. Pipes of water flowed from its round top, and sprinkled gently down upon the yellow petals like the first drops of a coming rain. He could feel the water sloshing around in the can as he tipped it just a bit further.

It was odd, this watering can. He stared at it curiously, not for the first time that day, as he continued to water the flower. Its design seemed almost decorative by nature, and its surface was pained with the image of a hen and her chic walking along a green path set against a field of blue pastel. There wasn't anything wrong with it, but... He could see no evidence of any other items similar to this one among Rito's possessions. Not even close. Although... there was that weird, dog-like ornament with a fish in its mouth stationed on one of Rito's shelves. It looked like a dog in an alien space suit, in all honesty. But aside from that, there was nothing to suggest Rito would own something like this. And from what Mikan had told him, no one else took care of the gardening. Perhaps they were gifts?

He didn't know. He couldn't ask, either, for no one else was home. They had all gone out earlier. For what, they hadn't said. It wouldn't have mattered though, he supposed. He had too many questions to ask as it was. The mysteries of a watering can and an ornament were at the bottom of his list of curiosities. Maybe it was because he had amnesia, but he didn't find anything odd about the three girls with tails. It was easily noticeable that no one else seemed to have them, except for that gray-haired man, anyway. What was the significance? And what of their hair? Pink hardly seemed a natural hair color, but when he looked at them, their hair didn't appear to be dyed. In fact their hair color seemed very natural on them. There was also that girl with pale green hair, but like the other three, there didn't seem to be anything fake about it. Everyone else he saw had much more down to earth hair colors. Black, brown, red... even gold. The most insistent oddity, however, by her very nature, was the little girl. Her hair was green, and the pink-tinged flower on her head... it wasn't a hat or hair decoration. It was a very real, albeit somewhat large, flower.

The past few days had been rather strained for the people of this house, though, so he had kept his questions to himself, and tried to stay out of their way. It was hard to do this, however, when the obvious cause of their strain was him. They had given him space, but he could tell, when they did speak to him, when they did spend time with him, and even when they didn't, they were looking for something. Hoping, even.

Rito.

He sighed as he set the can back down. They were looking for Rito. And he still wasn't there.

o0o

It was, perhaps, not in the cafe's usual duties, but when a large party such as this entered the shop, its employees took it all in stride. They had pulled together five tables from their regular stations and set them in a single row beside a window-lined wall in short order. When everyone had been seated, and their orders taken, the staff dispersed to tend to their other duties, leaving the large group to themselves.

"Now then. Why exactly are we here, Yuuki-chan?"

Mikan glanced at the blond heiress briefly before clearing her throat and turning to the rest of the people gathered. "Thank you all for coming. I want to talk to you all about my brother."

The Tenjoin girl scoffed at this. "I think we'll be leaving." As one, she and her closest friends and confidants rose from their seats.

"Tenjoin-san..." Mikan's voice was cool and controlled, but her fingers fidgeted under the table, and she gnawed at her lower lip despite herself. "I wouldn't have asked you here unless it was important. Won't you please stay... and listen to what I have to say before you decide to leave?"

When the Yuuki girl looked up, it was with clear, yet burdened eyes. Saki stared at her from across the table, taken somewhat aback by what she saw, and nodded slowly.

"I owe you and your brother a debt," she said, sitting down once more. "This will pay it."

Mikan watched as Aya and Rin followed suit, and when they were all seated, she let out a small sigh. "Thank you."

"As many of you know, Rito has recently lost all of his memories."

Mikan glanced up at her father as he folded his arms against the table. Indeed, most of the people gathered here had known about Rito's condition, but for those that hadn't, the news...

"What?! When was this?!"

Suffice it to say, the news came as a bit of a shock. She turned her gaze to her brother's best friend. His chair had fallen to the ground when he sprang to his feet. His hands slammed against the table in outrage.

"Why wasn't I told?!"

"Sir, please. Control yourself or you'll be forced to leave."

Saruyama turned his narrowed eyes upon the waitress menacingly, but nodded and muttered an apology before turning to pick up his chair.

"Yeah, why weren't we told either?"

"It's so sudden."

Risa and Mio hadn't been told either, Mikan reflected, but they were taking this much better than Saruyama was. The Tenjoin group were the only others present who hadn't known, and they, while visibly startled, said nothing.

"How did this happen? When?" Once again seated, Saruyama breathed the questions through clenched teeth. The answer came not from Mikan, however, but from the opposite end of the table.

"Less than a week ago, Rito received a severe trauma to the back of his head that brought on his current condition."

All eyes turned towards the auburn-haired doctor.

"Trauma? So he got hit in the head? How?"

The question hung in the air, creating an uncomfortable silence that no one dared break. Mikan shifted her gaze to the end of the table where Lala sat. She was being uncharacteristically quiet. She had been ever since...

Mikan shook her head. "It doesn't matter. The point is he has amnesia. But Mikado-san has told me that his memories can be restored."

The servers returned then, bearing trays of drinks. They did not speak as the servers distributed their orders, but mulled over what Mikan had said.

"It's possible," Oshizu said slowly, pulling her drink towards her after the servers had left. She looked up at the doctor sitting next to her with tilted head. "But not guaranteed."

"But possible, right? Rito-kun might be able to remember again?"

Oshiuzu looked down the table at Haruna. There was pain etched on her face. Oshizu bit her lip. She had said too much.

"Of course." Mikado pat her student's shoulder lightly as she lifted her glass. "The only questions to consider are how and when."

"And the 'how' has already been addressed."

"Really?"

Mikan nodded at Run's question. "Triggers."

"Triggers?"

"What kind of triggers, exactly?" Yui asked. She had yet to touched her drink, and wasn't likely too any time soon. Not until they told her what was going on.

"Things Rito-dono had strong connections to before he lost his memory," Zastin said. He was seated beside Saibai, and like Yui, he hadn't the mind for food or drink.

"Like us?" Momo considered the notion with a slight frown. "Mikan-chan, Rito-san has already been home for a few days now, and seeing us hasn't caused any memories to resurface."

"But we haven't been spending that much time with him. We didn't want to overwhelm him. This is different."

"I suppose," Momo said, sliding her drink away from the reaching arms of the child sitting next to her in a highchair. She ran a hand through her green hair affectionately as she thought over the idea. "Maybe if we were to spend some time alone with Rito-san..."

"Momo..." Across the table from her, her twin's tone took a dangerous edge.

"I'm serious, Nana. Mikan-chan's right; we haven't spent any time talking about real things with Rito-san. We've just been trying to make sure he's comfortable. If we got serious, maybe..."

"So, what, we each take a day to spend time with Yuuki-san?"

Mikan nodded. "Maybe not a whole day, Tenjoin-san, but a large part of one."

"And what makes you think that'll work?"

Mikan's voice became almost toneless. "I asked you all here today... because everyone at these tables has made an impact on Onii-chan's life. Every one of you."

Beside her, watching her with eyes full of concern, sat Yami. She could see what no one else could at that table. She could see the shaking fists Mikan hid beneath the tablecloth, she could see the marks that had been left on her skin from all the pressure Mikan had exerted wringing her hands together, she could see the pain that wracked her body, that threatened to overwhelm her and leave her broken. And it worried her.

"Everyone here is a potential trigger for Rito-kun," Mikado said, filling the void Mikan's voice had left. "She's asking you for help."

"Yes." Mikan breathed in deep and let her gaze fall over everyone gathered before her. "Will you help my brother regain his memories?"

Her gaze finally fell upon Saki, and there it stayed until the heiress answered her.

"My debt to you is paid. My debt to your brother... I will pay." Beside her, Aya and Rin nodded.

Nods and murmurs of affirmation sounded from everyone gathered, and Mikan, filled with relief, leaned back against her chair. She felt a hand squeeze hers. She turned to her best friend, a smile gracing her lips. It was the first one Yami had seen in some time. She could only nod, though, for fear of what failure might do to the young girl.

"All that's left to decide then, is in what order we all spend time with him, trying to trigger his memories." Saibai sat back in his seat with crossed arms as he said this, his eyes lifted in thought.

Mikan nodded. "Right. There are... nineteen of us here. If we—." She looked up as her father's hand fell upon her shoulder. "Perhaps we should make accommodations for those who aren't here as well."

She stared up at him quietly as understanding caused her head to nod once more. "You're right." She looked around the table, her eyes stopping on certain people, most noticeably Lala, and closed her eyes. "Alright. The total count is..."

-END Ch. 3-

~~~~~ooooo00000ooooo~~~~~

"**Then they came to him,**

**The Twenty-Three signs.**

**In ones and two and even threes,**

**They came to him.**

**Though he recognized them not for what they really were.**

**He recognized them not for what they had meant to him,**

**Or for what he had meant to them,**

**But still they came,**

**In ones and twos and even threes,**

**In hopes that he would remember."**

~~~~~ooooo00000ooooo~~~~~

A/N: For those of you who don't remember, the items Rito describes in the garden scene are all from the manga. The watering can was a birthday present from Haruna to Rito in chapter 27, and the alien dog ornament is a gift Rito received from Lala when thy went to the Tenjoin Christmas party in chapters 33 and 34.

The debt Saki is referring to during the cafe scene is a reference to when Rito and Mikan took her in when she wanted to run away from home in chapters 131 and 132.


End file.
